| Luckily, this burgeoning interest coincided with a revival of Castle's gimmicks at the Film Forum in New York City in the 1980s. The theater rigged up its own Percepto buzzers and invited an audience of hipsters to enjoy the festivities. When Vincent Price announced that the Tingler was loose in the theater, the buzzers went off and a group of jaded New Yorkers started screaming for their lives. I remembered what John Waters said in his essay: "How could film buffs be so slow in elevating this ultimate eccentric director-producer to cult status? Isn't it time for a documentary on his life?" I decided to take John's bait and make this film. The America that William Castle made his films for was a country that prided itself on its regional differences - a far cry from today's fast-food and big-box landscape. Unlike today, when a film will open simultaneously on 3,000 screens, Castle's pictures opened city by city. He traveled from place to place, and each campaign was tailored for that particular area. It was as if the circus were coming to town and Castle was the jovial ringleader. I feel this fostered a sense of community and allowed folks to make the experience their own. Today's movie-going is becoming increasingly solitary, and I hope this film reminds people of the joy of a shared experience and how movies can encourage community and connectedness. Today, the movie business is run by lawyers and accountants, and driven by focus groups, obscenely high budgets, and a global distribution network that simply didn't exist in Castle's heyday. Show business today places the emphasis on the business, but oftentimes neglects the show. Castle didn't need a $50 million marketing budget to get his audience excited about his product. Through pure showmanship and the force of his own personality, he made audiences feel they were part of something truly unique that they would remember for the rest of their lives. As this film can attest, they're still talking about it today. William Castle's life is profoundly American. He was an orphan growing up on the streets of New York City who, through fast-talking, bravado, and genuine talent, made his way to Hollywood and reinvented himself. He put himself on the line financially and emotionally for his films, and for that reason Spine Tingler! is a tribute to dreamers everywhere. -MPM
Photos courtesy of the filmmaker.
Visit the Spine Tingler! website |
